Fallin' All in You
by celtics534
Summary: When falling, you try to regain your balance. Landing with grace is near impossible, not to mention the pain that is sure to follow Except... there was one fall that Harry would never regret. Falling in love with Ginny Weasley. Slight AU


**Everything is cannon except Harry and Ginny never got together in Harry's sixth year, but they both had feelings for one another. Arnel was amazing in editing this for me, so a thank you goes out to her! Based on the song Fallin' All in You by Shawn Mendes.**

* * *

"Well, I haven't seen such vivid red hair in a long time," A sarcastic voice from behind Ginny made her turn. Harry Potter, her brother's best friend, was grinning at her. His infectious attitude made her heart skip a beat, or maybe it was just because he was smiling at her. He had always seemed to make her heart perform jumping-jacks whenever he walked into a room, no matter how many times she denied it over the years.

She had always had a thing for Harry, from the first moment she saw him. She had been ten, watching her brothers disappear on the Hogwarts Express, while she was forced to wait another year. A small, cute, black-haired boy had stopped her mother to ask how to get on the platform. That was the first time Ginny could recall her heart performing wild tricks.

As the years went by, and Ginny joined her brothers at school, she and Harry had become friends. He was one of her favorite people. At first, she had let her little crush affect her, but as she aged, she learned to relax and enjoy spending time with someone as interesting as Harry. Once she had reached an older age, she and Harry had confided in one another. She told him about her ambitions to play for the Harpies and he expressed his fear of facing Voldemort.

She had always held out a little hope that Harry would start to fancy her, and they would be each other's any times - each other's always - but that hadn't happened. Instead, Ginny had dated Dean Thomas, up until six months ago, and Harry had been with… well, she tried to ignore the parade of woman he had. To be fair, it wasn't a parade, but Merlin, it sure felt like one to Ginny. He may have dated like two women since defeating Voldemort a year and a half ago.

"Harry!" Ginny called excitedly. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug, which he returned enthusiastically.

"How's it going, Gin?" The nickname caused a shiver to spread down her spine. He was the only one who ever seemed to call her that, and she preferred it that way. "A reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, impressive! Right out of Hogwarts, no less." He lowered his voice, pride evident in his tone. "I knew you could do it."

Ginny waved her hand in a nonchalant manner. " _Pish_. We all knew it was a matter of time."

Harry nodded. His eyes had a light to them that Ginny couldn't quite understand or describe, the look of pride, mixed with more. She had seen that look on him many times over the years, and to this day she had no idea what it meant. His eyes didn't light up like that when Hermione discussed her work, or Ron talked about the Cannons. No, it seemed like he reserved that look for her, just like that nickname.

Ginny removed her arms from his neck and lay her hand lightly on his arm, moving her face in close so he could hear her over the overwhelming noise of the bar. "What are you doing here?"

Harry gestured over to a group of burley-looking men at a corner table. "Some of the blokes from work wanted a pint and wouldn't take no for an answer." He looked back at her, making Ginny's body shiver again. _Damn those beautiful green eyes._ "What about you?"

"Same," Ginny jerked her thumb towards the Harpies Keeper and Seeker dancing with a couple of men towards the middle of the room.

Harry let out a small snort that was just audible over the music blasting throughout the building. Ginny watched as Harry bit his bottom lip, as if he was stealing his nerves. "Hey," he finally said, tilting his neck so his mouth was practically brushing her ear. Gooseflesh arose on Ginny's arms, "want to get out of here and catch up?"

Stay here in the loud, dimly lit bar, or go and hang out with Harry? _Is there really any debate?_ Ginny thought sarcastically.

"Sounds great." Ginny smiled at Harry. "Let me just tell Keira and Gill."

Harry nodded, and Ginny turned towards the makeshift dance floor. As she made her way through the tables and people, she felt eyes following her every move. In one of the reflective surfaces on the far wall, Ginny could see Harry watching her as she walked. His eyes trained on… her hips. _Well, I'll be damned,_ Ginny laughed to herself. It seemed like Harry had finally noticed her… well, at least her body and hopefully more.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"And then," Harry continued through his laughter, "Teddy comes running out of the bath, naked as the day he was born, Ron following behind him, hollering about how he needed to wear trousers out of the loo. It reminded me vividly of your mum."

Ginny could imagine it… Ron following behind the little Lupin holding a pair of trousers and a shirt. She laughed with Harry as they sat at the small café table. They had decided to grab a late dinner together, which had led to a delicious breakfast for supper situation. "Did he use the word: distastefully?"

Harry snorted into his coffee. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because that's the exact word Mum uses when we do something unpleasant." She gave the man across from her a mischievous smirk. "They say as men grow older they turn into their fathers. I think Ron is turning into Mum."

Harry laughed heartily; luckily, they were the only ones there, so they weren't disturbing anyone. "I could see that," he managed through his amusement. They settled into a comfortable silence, Ginny taking another sip of her cooling drink. "What about you?" Harry finally broke the quiet.

"What about me what?" Ginny asked as her eyebrows creased.

"Who are you turning into? Your mum or your dad?"

Ginny had to think about that. She did have her mother's temper, but she had her dad's overwhelming curiosity with a subject she was interested in. "I think… I think I'm a perfect mixture."

Harry nodded and smiled. "I could see that." He then became quiet again, a plethora of wrinkles had appearing across his forehead. "I wonder which parent I would be like," he muttered quietly, not making eye contact. If Ginny wanted, she could have ignored his comment, letting the mood of the table continue to be happy and joyful. However, Harry rarely said things like this, so Ginny wanted to access his emotional side. Sometimes he needed to vent, even if he didn't know it.

She moved her chair closer to his side of the table, placing on hand on his cheek so he would be forced to look at her. "It doesn't matter who you are like," Ginny kept her voice soft and comforting. "Because no matter what, they would be so proud of you, Harry."

Ginny watched the green in his eyes darken as he looked into her own. She had heard that eyes were the gateway to the soul, and at that moment it made sense. As she looked at Harry she could imagine it all, everything she knew about him and all she believed he was. The good, the bad, everything that made Harry… Harry was shown right in his eyes.

She had lost track of time and forgot where they were. All that mattered was Harry and making sure she understood him, and in turn, he understood her. It wasn't until she felt his lips connect with hers that she seemed to lose that sense of hypnotism. Harry had leaned forward and kissed her, right there in the little Muggle café and Ginny was more than happy to return his affections. She moved in closer, allowing herself to get lost in the feeling of his hand cupping the back of her neck.

They separated slowly, eyes reconnecting. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," Harry murmured.

"I had no idea," Ginny's own voice was barely over a whisper. She wished she could think of a witty comment, but she was just stunned by Harry's admittance, not to mention his actions. All those years dreaming of this very moment. She mentally shook herself. _Get a grip, Weasley._

She pulled back slightly, trying to remove herself from this inner bubble, where his heavenly, woodsy scent was almost overbearing. It was nullifying her mind. "You could have just said, Oi Weasley I want to snog the daylights out of you," Ginny's wits seemed to return to her slowly but surely.

Harry let out a light chuckle. "Sometimes I've wondered how I was placed into Gryffindor, I seem to have no bravery when it comes to girls… in particular, you." He moved his hand to her cheek, letting his thumb graze across her bottom lip.

"Well, I personally appreciate your boldness in this situation, Mr. Potter," Ginny smiled at the man before her. Her curiosity started to get the better of her. "When you say long time…?"

Harry leaned back in, placing a feather-light kiss to the tip of her nose. _Merlin! This boy was a romantic. Who knew? She was going to melt every time he did that._

"Since about my sixth year," he admitted, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Do you remember when Ron and I found you and Dean snogging in that corridor?"

Ginny nodded. She had been furious with herself for multiple reasons during that particular fight with her brother. One: because she had betrayed Hermione's trust and two: she hated how much she cared about what Harry thought about the situation.

That was the moment she completely forced herself to give up on Harry. She threw herself in to her relationship with Dean. They had dated until Dean had been forced on the run from the Muggleborn Registration Committee. Then when they had both return to Hogwarts for their final year, they resumed their relationship, albeit less enthusiastic than they had done before. It wasn't until six months ago, a few months after Christmas, that they had both decided they had no real romantic connection, that they were better off as friends. Ginny hadn't really been torn up by the break up, she just focused on Quidditch, and that's how she had ended her up here, reserve Chaser on the Harpies right out of Hogwarts. Clearly, however, her distractions had never entirely broken her attraction to Harry.

"Really?" She was astonished by his admittance. At the time she had given up, he start having hope for them.

Harry nodded. "Yeah." His sheepish smile seemed to become more prominent, if that was possible. "I kept hoping you and Dean would break up. Then when you did – I don't know, I kinda panicked. I wanted to talk to you, but I was afraid you didn't feel the same. Not to mention what Ron would say."

Ginny's stomach seemed to fill with winged creatures. This was coming from the man who never talked about his feelings. All she wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and kiss him again until they couldn't think clearly showing him just how much she liked him, however she was Ginny Weasley and she had a reputation to uphold. She gave him an impish smirk. "Don't worry, I can handle Ron, but what makes think I do feel the same way."

Ginny watched in amusement as Harry's mouth open and closed like a fish, gulping in air but looking dumbfounded and slightly terrified. She gave him to the count of five before she snorted. She closed the little distance between them and kissed him. "Think about it, Potter." Ginny removed her lips from his and over to his ear. She felt gooseflesh rise on his body as she placed her hand on his forearm.

Harry let out a breath through his nose. "I've thought about it and I've decided that anyone who writes poetry about someone clearly fancy's them."

Ginny pulled back, giving the now chuckling black haired man a once over. "That was one time."

Harry pressed his advantage with the turned tables. He pressed his lips to hers. "Can we make it a tradition now?"

"Not in this lifetime," Ginny muttered darkly, but then forgot all about her annoyance as Harry stood up from his chair and grabbed her hand, helping her to rise. He used his free hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a wad of Muggle bills, throwing them on the table.

"Care to take a walk with me, Miss Weasley?" Harry asked, letting go of her hand but offering his arm. "Maybe I'll be struck by inspiration and serenade you this time."

"Now that," Ginny laughed as she looped her elbow through his, "I want to see."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm just saying," Ginny huffed as she lay on her back, her chest rising and falling rapidly, continuing their argument from earlier as if they hadn't distracted themselves with much more _favorable_ activities. "I don't want my brother walking in on me doing that. One: it would scar him for life, but also, he might tell my mother, and that would just lead to the words, 'scarlet woman,' and, 'no white on your wedding day,' and no one wants that."

Harry positioned himself so her was right next to Ginny, his body warmth pressing into her side. He leaned himself up onto his elbow. "We've always just walked into each other's flats."

"That was before you started shagging his sister."

"Well, actually, you and I were shagging long before we moved into this flat together, by that logic he shouldn't have walked into my old flat."

Ginny mimicked her boyfriend's position, the better to glare at him. Harry was almost convinced that she was actually furious, until he noticed the corner of her mouth twitch, a sure sign she was holding back a smile. He couldn't help but smile to himself. The last two years of dating had been, while not actually perfect, picture-perfect to him. Ginny was his ideal woman. Her sense of humor, looks, and her fiery passion even worked well with his own. No, Ginny was like summer on a harsh winter day, warming him and melting the cold world around him, and he needed her more than he liked to admit.

After all those years pining for the red-head, Harry was still amazed she was his, not that she was a possession! No, as she reminded everyone constantly, she was a grown witch, and could do as she pleased. Just another little tidbit that made Harry love her.

Falling in love with her had been like walking across a tightrope, a dangerous maneuver that could either end in disaster or become an incredible feat. In the end he had crossed the chasm and was now happier than he could ever remember being. She brought out a different side of him. She could pull him from his worst moods and make him feel his best. She made him be his best. He was so glad he was the one lying beside her every night.

"If you don't talk to him, then I will," Ginny warned. She glared at him a little longer for emphasis before giving him a searing kiss. "I love Ron, but there are just some things brothers don't want to see or hear."

Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny, pulling them flat on their backs, his head on the one remaining pillow, hers on his chest.

"I'll talk with him Monday," Harry agreed, reaching for the sheet to cover them. "For now, let's just enjoy your off weekend, yeah?"

Ginny turned her head slightly and kissed his chest. "Deal."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ron's grimace almost made Harry break his composure. "I didn't need that image, mate," the red head protested. "Couldn't you have just said you were putting in new carpet and you would call me over instead of – of – "

"Insinuating that you may walk in on me and your sister?" Harry asked innocently. Ron blanched. It was just too easy, and too much fun. "If I used the carpet excuse, then you would just be back the next weekend."

Ron didn't reply, he just shook his head and turned away from Harry, heading towards his cubicle.

"So, we're good?" Harry called after him, now laughing out loud. Ron shot him a gesture behind his back that would have made Mrs. Weasley glue his fingers together, making Harry laugh harder.

Though the weight hadn't changed in the last four months, Harry could have sworn the engagement ring resting in his trousers pocket became heavier, demanding to be freed. Tonight, he was taking Ginny to the small Muggle café they had gone too those years ago. He had found the woman who he shared all his secrets with and loved more than anything, and it was time was time to cross that tightrope again, only now holding hands. Taking on the world together as a unit, as a married couple.

Harry placed his hand in that heavy pocket, letting his thumb graze the velvet box. He was ready to freefall, if it meant he was with Ginny. As long as he had her, Harry knew his life would always be what he wanted it to be.


End file.
